A vehicle engine, such as a gasoline and/or a diesel engine, can produce undesirable vibration and noise. The vibration and noise can be associated with an engine timing system of the vehicle engine. As customer expectations continue to increase, the need to reduce the vibration and noise perceived by the customer has become more important. Typically, vibration and noise perceived by the customer can be reduced by having an engine timing system that includes a timing belt tensioner (also known or referred to as a “timing tensioner” or a “gauge tensioner”) that includes a damping structure.
Timing belt tensioners that include a damping structure typically have low damping characteristics and tend to only reduce a limited amount of the overall vibration and noise perceived by the customer. Further, typical timing belt tensioners do not reduce vibration quickly and do not effectively absorb energy generated by the vibration. In vehicle engines that have a relatively large amount of engine torsional vibration, these typical timing belt tensioners may be ineffective and can result in timing belt tooth skipping.